


Winter Cold

by Rahenna



Series: Ace of Hearts [35]
Category: Gakuen Heaven 2 ~Double Scramble~
Genre: Age Difference, M/M, Secret Relationship, Teacher-Student Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-02
Updated: 2015-11-02
Packaged: 2018-04-26 12:50:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5005462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rahenna/pseuds/Rahenna
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Thanks to Kazuki, an imported flu is running rampant at BL School. Matsuoka does his best to care for the victims, including the normally undefeatable Professor Sakaki.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Winter Cold

**Author's Note:**

> Contains spoilers for Gakuen Heaven 2. If you intend to play the game yourself, reading this may ruin your fun a bit. :)
> 
> Originally posted here:  
> [Adults Always Lie](http://heaven.neo-romance.net/lies/)
> 
> If you want to know more about the Gakuen Heaven series, please visit my fansite for game translations and summaries:  
> [welcome to Heaven](http://heaven.neo-romance.net/)

**January 26, 2018**

_(Matsuoka)_

There were times when my job felt tedious, or that I thought it wasn't really necessary to have a doctor at the school full time. With fewer than two hundred students and staff members on campus, it wasn't unusual to go an entire day without helping someone. And aside from Kasahara-kun, I didn't get many students faking illness or injury in order to skip class; as expected, a male doctor wasn't terribly popular at a school filled with boys.

However, with cold and flu season at its peak, I could barely find time to eat lunch most days. This week had been so bad that I'd swallowed my pride and begged the research lab to send someone to help, even though several of their people were sick as well. After nearly a full day of stalling, my backup finally arrived, announcing his presence with a familiar cough and sniffle.

"Hiroya! You're supposed to be resting at home!"

"Well," he'd muttered, wiping at his nose with the back of his hand, "my project's at a critical stage right now, I can't lose a whole day. And don't even start about those grad students, they don't understand the importance of my work." Another sniffle.

"So why are you here, then?"

"Because everyone's afraid I'll get them sick."

I sighed. "You're going to reinfect all the students. And me."

"Heh, if you don't have this cold by now, you'll never get it. God knows I've--"

"Hiroya! There are students in here!"

A sneeze came from behind one of the curtains as if confirming it.

"Anyway, if I start feeling dizzy, you won't get too mad if I end up taking a nap here, right?"

I pressed the back of my hand to my forehead, feeling a headache coming on that had absolutely nothing to do with the cold that was going around. "Some help you are."

Hiroya finally had the decency to look embarrassed. "Sorry, Jin. The lab wouldn't let go of anyone else, though... anyone whose brain isn't fried is being worked to the bone."

And that's how I ended up working with Hiroya for most of the school week, which was fun in some ways, but incredibly annoying in others. Keeping our relationship quiet made things awkward, but fortunately we were busy enough that it wasn't much of a problem. By the time Friday arrived, the rush had slowed to a trickle, mainly because most of the boys were already receiving treatment. Hiroya's cold had also gotten bad enough that I'd upgraded it to the flu, and he spent most of his time curled up in bed with the curtain shut.

"Who are you, Kasahara-kun?" I teased as he settled down. "We just got here."

"Well, if you could make the room stop spinning, I'd get up." Hiroya sniffled. "I'm gonna kill Kazuki the next time I see him..."

"I'm sure he's suffering from the American flu just as much as everyone else," I sighed, "but it's definitely turned this school into a nightmare. One bad thing about being cut off from the outside is that we're like our own mini bio lab. Whatever gets in just runs rampant through the population, and this year's flu shot was no match for an imported bug."

"How on earth is Keita still fine? I saw Kazuki cough right in his face last weekend. He should have come down with something by now."

"Some people have natural immunity. Maybe it's his luck in action."

"Yeah, great," Hiroya grumbled, then coughed. "Unfortunately for the rest of us mere mortals, Typhoid Keita carried the plague to everyone else on the island."

"I'm not sick," I pointed out with a bit of a smug smile. "And some of the students had the normal flu for this year, so they must have been resistant as well. Too bad they couldn't resist the local strain."

Hiroya's snappy response was cut off by the loud ring of the desk phone. A glance at the caller ID revealed that it was none other than Kasahara-kun.

"Dr. Matsuoka, sorry for calling so early in the morning."

"It's fine, Kasahara-kun, I get to the office early. What happened, are you sick? I haven't seen you all week."

"No, I'm feeling fine, and I'm keeping away from your office so I can stay that way."

"Smart move, it's a hotbed of disease." I shot Hiroya a sour look. "So how can I help?"

"I know you and Dr. Yoshizumi are very busy right now, but could one of you possibly make a house call to the staff dorm this morning? Professor Sakaki called and asked me to get someone to cover his classes today, but he didn't sound too good. I'm sure he has the same nasty cold that's been going around lately."

A house call would be difficult if today was anything like the rest of the week had been. "Did you tell him to come see me?"

"I did, but he insisted that he was fine." A pause. "He didn't _sound_ fine to me."

I sighed. If the professor wasn't dragging himself to class, like he did that one time he lost his voice for several days, he was probably half-dead and completely unable to leave his room. "I'll go check on him as soon as I can. If he's missing class, it must be serious."

"Thank you, Dr. Matsuoka. I know you're busy."

"It's fine," I reassured him. "It's still early in the day and I have help. Of a sort."

After I hung up, Hiroya peeked out from behind the curtain. "House call? I could go do it."

"Hmp, you really want to deal with Professor Sakaki while he has the flu?"

Hiroya made a quiet _ugh_ sound and flopped back onto the bed. "Er, maybe not."

"Anyway, you'd just end up getting each other sicker. I'll take care of it." My travel kit was ready to go, since I'd already made several trips to the student dorm that week. Or so I thought. "Did you refill this?" I popped it open and sighed again. "Of course not."

"Sorry, Jin..."

"It's fine, at least I'm not sick. Somehow."

It only took a few minutes to restock the bag with essentials, and I headed out to the staff dorm.

~~~

It had been a while since I'd made a trip to the staff dorm; I didn't live there, and neither did Keita, so there wasn't much reason to visit the building. I'd checked in on Nao regularly, but his room had been empty for almost a year now. Hard to believe it had been so long. I turned away from that shut door and walked a few steps down the hallway to the next.

I tapped on the door. "Professor Sakaki?"

There was a long pause. "Who is it?"

"It's Matsuoka. I heard that you weren't feeling well, may I come in?"

Another pause, then, "It's unlocked."

The first thing I noticed upon entering was the distinctive smell of sickness, stale sweat and other unpleasant odors that I instantly recognized as signatures of that year's flu. The second was that it was almost completely dark, with the lights off and curtains drawn. I slipped my face mask into place and flipped the light switch, eliciting a grunt of irritation from the bed.

"I told Kasahara I was fine," the professor muttered, peering at me with a frown.

"You don't _look_ fine," I responded without thinking, only realizing how rude it sounded when Sakaki heaved a sigh and turned his face away. But with those dark circles under his eyes and the strange, unhealthy flush of a fever, it was obvious that he was sick.

"It's just a cold," he insisted.

"If it's just a cold, why are you wrapped up in a blanket looking like you haven't slept in days?" I set my bag down on the bed and opened it, pulling out a thermometer. "Here."

At least he was obedient enough to accept the thermometer, watching somewhat patiently as I moved around the room to open the curtains. Other than a few pieces of clothing draped over the back of the desk chair, the room was almost oppressively neat, with books arranged in precise rows and every surface clear of clutter. Even the papers on the desk were sorted into labeled folders, and the tray beside them held a few office supplies, all organized by type and color.

_I can't even get Hiroya to put his socks in the laundry basket. His head would explode if he saw this._

The thermometer beeped, drawing me back to reality, and the professor handed it to me as I came back to the bedside. "38.2," I declared, as if he hadn't already read it himself. "That's a bit more than the common cold. What are your other symptoms? Chills, headache? Are you coughing?"

"More like an _everything_ -ache," he finally admitted with a sigh. "Hot and cold at the same time, and I can't stop sweating. I know it's disgusting in here."

"Don't worry, I'm used to it. Can you get up? You'll feel better after a shower and a change of sheets. And you really need to eat something, let me see..." I rummaged in my bag, hoping that there was at least one small snack left inside.

"Ugh, I don't want to eat anything." The professor made a face. "And I don't have the energy to fuss with the bed right now."

"I'm going to insist that you eat something," I countered, producing a sad-looking granola bar. "You can't recover if you don't give yourself any energy. I know this probably isn't all that appetizing, but I can stop by with something more mild later." I set it down on the nightstand. "And don't worry about the bed, I'll take care of that."

His face colored a little, not from the fever. "You don't have to do that."

"It's not a problem, I take care of my office all the time without help. I've had two kids throw up on me this week, changing a bed doesn't even register as an annoyance. Here," I offered my hand, "try sitting up first."

It took more prodding and assistance than I'd expected to get the professor out of bed, but once he was up he seemed more alert. Once I was sure that he was awake enough to shower without any danger, I turned my attention to the room. Even though it was the dead of winter, I flung open the windows and opened the door, letting the fresh, cold breeze from the outside sweep the stale air from the room. It didn't take long to find clean sheets and replace the ones on the bed, which left me with some time to sort through my bag and find the last of the various medicines that had fallen to the bottom.

By the time the professor emerged from the bathroom, wrapped in an almost comically fluffy bathrobe, the room was as fresh as it was going to get without a real cleaning, and I'd lined up several medicines on the nightstand. As expected, the shower had done wonders for him, and though he didn't look quite right with his hair damp and out of place, he was alert enough to pay attention to my advice.

"Are you sure I need all of these?" he asked, glancing at the nightstand.

"You want to recover as quickly as possible, don't you? They're all safe to take together, and each one will attack a certain set of symptoms." I handed over a glass of water and the first doses of each. "Anyway, I'll be back around noon with your lunch. Just sleep until then."

Sakaki smiled weakly and nodded. "Yeah, I will. Thank you."

~~~

_(Sakaki)_

I was roused from a sweaty dream by a tapping sound. It took several seconds for my mind to catch up and realize that someone was at the door. Was it already noon? A glance at the clock confirmed it, and my stomach tightened uncomfortably as I realized I hadn't eaten anything aside from a half-crushed granola bar since the day before.

"Come in," I called out, surprised by the obvious note of exhaustion in my voice.

The door swung open, and Dr. Matsuoka entered as expected, carrying the same black doctor's bag he'd brought earlier. What I hadn't anticipated, however, was someone else following close behind him, carrying a tray that held a covered bowl and some utensils.

"Asahina?!"

He rushed to the bedside, carefully sliding the tray onto the nightstand before turning toward me, eyes slightly narrowed and brows drawn together in concern. "Professor, are you okay?"

My gaze went to Matsuoka. "Why did you bring a student here? I'm sick, I'm probably still contagious, and you know students aren't allowed in the staff dorm."

Matsuoka shrugged with a faint smile, setting his bag down on the edge of the bed. "There was no way I could carry your lunch and my supplies at the same time. It seemed only natural to ask the student council president for help." He opened the bag, reaching inside. "Besides, if you've been sick for a while, you're probably not contagious anymore. I explained the risks to Asahina-kun and he agreed to come along."

"I never get sick!" Asahina chimed in with a bright smile.

 _Well, they do say that idiots don't catch colds..._ That teasing thought was enough to bring a faint smile to my lips, which Asahina immediately interpreted as my approval of his presence. He pulled the nearby chair over to the side of the bed and sat down, frowning.

"So that's why you missed tutoring yesterday. You said you had some work to finish... did you come back here and rest, then?"

"No," I paused to cough into the blanket, "I wouldn't lie about that. I did have some work to finish, but I gave up after an hour and came back here. After that... well, I don't want to talk about it."

"I guess there's no chance of you teaching class tomorrow, huh?"

I had to smile at that; Asahina was probably the only student in the regular class who looked forward to my algebra lectures. "I doubt it very much, Asahina."

Dr. Matsuoka wasn't watching us directly, but I could tell that he was listening very carefully to our conversation, his ear tilted toward us as he pretended to rummage through his supplies. Fair enough. If he was making an effort to listen discreetly, then I wouldn't call attention to his not quite eavesdropping. I was sure that Asahina would choose his words and actions carefully with someone else in the room, and I didn't have the energy to do much of anything.

"Well, then you need to hurry up and get better! Dr. Matsuoka told me that you haven't eaten anything at all. You can't recover if you don't have any strength." Asahina lifted the cover off the bowl, releasing a cloud of steam. I knew without seeing it that the bowl contained watery rice porridge, something I probably hadn't eaten since I was a child.

"That's hardly appetizing," I sighed.

"No, it's good! Sonoda let me taste it, he made it special so it's extra nice. He used the best quality rice, and when it was done he added a fresh egg, some sea salt, and green onions. Look!" He picked up the bowl and held it out, as if I wouldn't believe him without visual confirmation. It still looked like rice soup to me, only marginally more appealing than the usual. "Anyway, you should sit up so you can hold the tray in your lap."

"Right, right," I sighed, glancing over at Matsuoka. What on earth was he doing? No one could pretend to search for something that long. And with all the implements and medicines he'd scattered over the comforter, I was afraid to move too much. A bottle rolled away with a rattle as I pulled my leg out from under it and forced my aching body upright

"Oh, you're wearing the pajamas I..." Asahina cut himself off with a quiet gasp.

I sighed again. _At least the doctor knows already..._

To my surprise, Matsuoka echoed my sigh. "Well, that's embarrassing..."

Asahina and I both stared at him, eyes wide. I recovered my composure first. "What is it?"

"It seems that I've forgotten the most important thing. There's one particular drug that's been extra effective on this year's flu, and I keep forgetting to put more in my bag." He looked toward Asahina with an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, Asahina-kun, but would you be okay with staying here while I head back to my office to pick up more? It's my fault for not refilling after my visit to the student dorm..."

Asahina's eyes lit up with excitement. "Oh, no, I don't mind at all! I can stay here with Professor Sakaki while you pick up more medicine!"

There was no way it was a coincidence. I tried to catch Matsuoka's eye, but he pointedly ignored me as he started repacking his bag. "Thank you, Asahina-kun. I'll leave this here, then, since I'll be needing some of the other things as well." He looked toward me and held out a thermometer. "Before you eat, please check your temperature. I want to see if there's been any progress since the morning."

I accepted it with a frown. "It's only been a few hours."

"Please humor me. I'll be back soon."

Asahina's hands were on me the moment the door clicked shut behind the doctor, one pressing against my forehead, the other clasping one of my sweaty hands. "You're really burning up. I wish you'd told me you were sick." His fingers stroked my temple lightly, cool against my heated skin. His hand strayed into my hair, petting in the familiar gentle manner, and my eyes dropped shut. That feathery touch stirred memories of our quiet weekends, secret moments when we snuggled together, safe in our own world. With Asahina's touch, I could almost forget the tense headache and high fever that had rendered me useless.

Almost.

I opened my eyes with a pained sigh, and he drew back his hand. "Professor?"

"I'm fine," I lied, "just let me do this so the doctor doesn't hassle me later." I pushed the button on the digital thermometer and popped the end into my mouth. Asahina resumed his petting while we waited for the result, mouth turned down in a frown as he watched the numbers increase.

"38," he announced when it beeped. "That's really bad..."

I set the instrument on the nightstand. "It's better than this morning."

"That's still terrible. And you've been sweating so much, too, you need water. Here," he turned to pick up the tray, then leaned forward to set it on my lap. "You need to eat."

I looked down at the bowl of barely fragrant rice, and though it didn't look like much, the smell was enough to elicit a quiet rumble from my stomach.

Asahina giggled. "You sound like me!"

"That's a terrifying thought." I picked up the spoon and tasted it, finding it better than expected, just as Asahina had said. Whether it was Sonoda's skill or my body's desperate need for food, I couldn't say, but once I started, it was impossible to put the spoon down until the bowl was empty.

The tray was whisked away as soon as I finished the glass of water. "Good job," Asahina said with a smile, as if rewarding a small child. Moments later, he pressed a damp washcloth into my hand, which had probably been hot once, but had gone cold. I felt warmth rush to my face, and I reached up to wipe at my mouth in an attempt to hide it.

"You don't need more water, do you? Or do you need to use the bathroom? I can help you get up."

"Asahina... I'm not an invalid." I turned to set the towel aside, but he took it from me, murmuring something about not straining my body.

"But I want to help you. When you're sick, that's when you need the most love and attention, isn't it?" His head was tilted to one side, lips pursed in a slight pout. "I really missed you yesterday, you know. I worried when you didn't show up for homeroom, and when Tomo told me you were sick, I didn't know what to do. All I could think was, how could I come see you? How could I make sure you knew how sad I am that you're feeling sick?"

He reached for me, and I didn't protest or pull away. His hands caressed my cheeks, petting my face with a light, almost ticklish touch. Deep green eyes fixed upon mine, bright with moisture. "It hurts, thinking that you're alone in your room, feverish and sick. I don't want you to be alone, ever. I don't want anything to hurt you."

His hands dropped to my lap, fingers twining with my own, and he looked away with a heavy sigh. "I wish I could always be with you. Sometimes it really sucks, having to keep everything secret."

"Asahina..."

One of his hands slipped away, reaching up to rub at his eyes. His chest heaved as he took several deep breaths to calm himself, and when he looked at me again, he seemed vaguely embarrassed, pale cheeks stained with pink. "Sorry... sometimes I just..."

I wanted to hold him. How much easier would it be to sleep with Asahina at my side, in my arms, with the warmth of his love driving away any thoughts of fever or aches? It was impossible, but simply imagining it brought a quiet calm to my mind.

"Don't apologize for being compassionate, Asahina. I love that about you."

"Oh..." His blush deepened.

_Don't ever change. Stay kind and gentle. Don't let the world ruin you._

Those were the sorts of things I wanted to tell him, but right now, they would just sound like fevered ramblings. All I could do was cling to his hands and hope that he could sense my appreciation in the way I squeezed and petted his fingers. Or that he understood that my gaze kept dropping from his eyes to his lips because I couldn't help remembering, imagining, and wishing that I could feel their softness.

His smile was warm, his touch gentle.

We didn't need to say anything else.

The doctor's return broke the spell, but it wasn't completely over. When he left with the reluctant Asahina in tow, I could still sense the affection that lingered, like the scent of cologne hanging in the air after its wearer has passed. When I settled down to sleep, I could still feel the ghost of pressure on my hands as I folded them on my chest, and I knew that my illness wasn't the sole cause of the way my heart raced beneath my fingers.

~ end ~


End file.
